In client-server computer systems, information that is stored in a file on a remotely located server computer is often copied to a file on a local client computer. A user then updates the copied file on the local client computer. Thereafter, the two copies of the file do not match; and the user subsequently copies the updated file back to a destination file on the server computer.
Typically a network connects the client computer to the remote computer. Transferring files over the network between client and server computers consumes network resources and takes time. When copying the updated file on the client computer back to the destination file on the server computer, network traffic is increased. Typically, only portions of files are updated or changed. Therefore, sending unchanged contents of the file increases the amount of time and consumes network resources.
It would be highly desirable to develop a technique that transfers a portion of the updated file on the client computer to the destination file on the server computer to increase the speed of the file transfer and reduce consumption of valuable network resources.